One hit would reach mark combining Japan, MLB totals

It didn't take long for Ichiro Suzuki to get his 4,000th career hit Wednesday night. The Yankees outfielder singled through the left side of the infield on the second pitch of the at bat from knuckleballer R.A. Dickey.

Suzuki was congratulated on the field by the entire Yankee dugout after he reached first base. He also received an ovation from Blue Jays players on the field.

The outfielder singled and doubled in the first game of a doubleheader against Toronto Tuesday, leaving him one shy of 4,000 combined hits during his careers in Japan and the major leagues. With fans standing and chanting "Ichi-ro!" in the eighth, he grounded out.

A star in Japan between 1992 and 2000 as that nation's greatest hitter, Suzuki arrived in the States for the 2001 season when the Seattle Mariners won his rights by bidding $13.125 million. They then followed up with a three-year contract worth $14.088 million.

He burst onto the scene with a team desperate to replace Ken Griffey Jr., Alex Rodriguez and Randy Johnson. With the Mariners now an afterthought in the AL, it might tax a memory to recall them as a bona fide power.

His 2004 season was one for the record, with 262 hits to shatter George Sisler's record.

He joined the Yankees just before his contract expired and with his hitting skills apparently eroding. The change rejuvenated Suzuki.

With his 4,000th hit, Suzuki becomes a member of a select circle. Pete Rose has 4,256 hits in the majors, having passed Ty Cobb's 4,191 with the Cincinnati Reds.

That group expands when adding hits in other leagues, SI.com notes. Adding Rose's minor league hits, he has 4,683.

Others to reach 4,000 combined:

— Hank Aaron, 3,771 MLB, 324 minors

— Stan Musial, 3,630 MLB, 371 minors

—Arnold "Jigger" Statz, 737 MLB, 3,356 minors. Statz played mostly in the old Pacific Coast League in the first half of the 20th century.